A federal court ruling to offer assisted suicide to mentally ill patients has prompted sharp criticism from the ethics commission of the Swiss bishops' conference, writes Christa Pongratz-Lippitt.

The federal court's decision, made public last month by the Swiss assisted-suicide association Dignitas, will now allow doctors in Switzerland to assist both physically and mentally ill patients to commit suicide provided they are "capable of judgement".

The decision provided legal security and confirmed Switzerland's liberal stance on the issue, the federal court said. The court decision gave cause for "grave concern", the ethics commission said in a statement published last Friday, and showed that Switzerland was "on the brink of a slippery slope".